


blue/orange

by richurro



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: :), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Domestic Violence, Fluff, M/M, Mage, Mage Josh, Magic, Magical Elements, Trans Tyler Joseph, joshler - Freeform, they cute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-03-06 21:24:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18859396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/richurro/pseuds/richurro
Summary: Josh finds a Real person crying on the forest floor.





	1. anemone

**Author's Note:**

> i like this a lot so i decided to share :)

Josh is scared. In fact, he’s scared quite a lot these days, even when he’s tucked quietly into the corner of what’s supposed to be his safe space, knees pulled directly into his heart as he listens to it thrum in his ears.

But right now, at this very moment, hidden under the greenery masking the peaches and pinks in the sky, Josh stands behind a tree, soft palms on rough bark, absolutely terrified.

There’s a body curled up on the forest floor, long bruised limbs pulled up into their chest, sobs emitting from their lips. Josh listens to them cry and wail, the figure producing a gurgle of indecipherable words, repeating them in mantra, in prayer.

Josh doesn’t dare breathe, shrinking back into himself though he feels guilty for doing so. It’s only when cries and wails fade in to gasping and rapid breathing that Josh panics, revealing himself and rushing towards the hyperventilating figure.

Josh kneels into the dirt, rocks digging into his jeans as places his hands on their shoulders, forcing them into looking him in the eye. “ **Simon says,** ” Josh breathes, “copy me. C’mon, breathe with me,”

Josh sets an example, breathing in through his nose and exhaling slowly, hoping the person in his arms would catch up. “C’mon, breathe. I got you, breathe with me. You’re doing so well,” he encourages, gazing into bloodshot eyes, warm and brown.

Josh doesn’t know if it’s because of the spell, but the person in front of him is finally able to catch their breath, mimicking Josh’s steady breathing pattern almost exactly. “Alright, okay, you’re good. **There’s no place like home** ,” Josh casts for good measure, continuing to hold onto their shoulders.

The spell takes effect almost immediately, causing them to relax and practically melt into Josh’s touch when he helps them sit up against a tree. “H-How did—How did you–” they start, eyes big and glassy, eyebrows raised high.

“ **The past is in the past** ,” Josh recites nervously, not wanting them to remember his rushed casting. They blink, face going blank and holding no recognition for Josh or what had just happened. Josh isn’t a good actor, _at all,_  but he tries anyway, searching the stranger’s face as if it were the first time he laid eyes on them.

“Hey, man. Are you okay?” He asks gently, eyebrows pulled together in concern. The only response he gets is a whimper and more hot tears slipping down flushed cheeks. “Y-You were having a panic attack, I think. Man, what are you doing in the forest?” Josh clarifies.

“I—I don’t…Wha-What are _you_ doing here?”

Josh shakes his head, eyes raking up and down their body. There are purple bruises on their arms and legs; Josh doubts that there weren’t any littering their torso. There’s a cut on their lip and fresh blood on the side of their face, seeping from their hair and running down their temple; Josh suspects there’s a gash. Not to mention the sickly yellow mark blooming on their cheekbone.

“Dude, you’re hurt. What happened, why—why are you here?” Josh asks again.

“I—I was…mugged…They—They…I tried to stop them, but—but I…” They sniff, continuing to cry while shaking in Josh’s arms.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Josh comforts, opting to remove his hands from their shoulders and cupping their cheeks, fingers now wet with blood and tears, “you’re alright. It’s okay. What’s your name, petal?”

“T-Ty—Tyler,” They say, bottom lip wobbling.

Josh smiles softly, using a small, sweet voice to say, “Hey, Tyler. I’m Josh. It’s getting late and we need to get you somewhere safe. Do you think you can stand?”

Tyler averts their eyes, worriedly searching their surroundings, now noticing how dark it was becoming. “I, um…I don’t…know? I—I can try?” They say.

Josh nods and lets go of Tyler, standing from the ground and reaching down to help them up. They take hold of Josh’s hand, slowly getting up on their feet. When they falter, Josh slips an arm around their waist, letting Tyler lean on him for support.

“Thank you,” Tyler murmurs as they set an arm over Josh’s shoulders.

“It’s okay, c’mon,” Josh soothes, guiding Tyler through the quiet forest. They pass the tree Josh had been hiding behind earlier, weaving around and under branches as they reach the near edge of the stretch of trees.

“Um, are we—are we going the right way?” Tyler asks nervously upon seeing nothing but dark green foliage. Josh bites the inside of his cheek, having momentarily forgotten about the protective barrier around his treehouse.

“ **Everything is not what it seems,** ” Josh reponds, undoing the previous **Nothing to see here.** When they both step forward, Tyler’s jaw goes slack, eyes shining in wonder as they marvel over the treehouse overhead.

“That…That wasn’t there before…” Tyler utters, eyes bouncing from tree to tree, platform to platform. Josh smiles at their expression, glad that they were no longer crying brokenly in the dirt.

“Yeah it was, you just weren’t looking hard enough,” Josh replies smoothly as Tyler continues to stare at the jumble of treehouses that made up Josh’s safe space. It’s made up of three platforms perched high in the trees, each little house connected by a rope bridge with decorative vines dangling off their edges.

Josh leads Tyler towards the closest tree, pursing his lips and hesitating when they reach the rope ladder leading upward. There was no way Tyler was going to be able to climb in their current condition, especially not at such a dangerous height. _What if they hurt themselves?,_  Josh thinks. _God forbid that happens._

“Um, we gotta…go up there?” Tyler asks quietly, warily looking up into the trees. Josh pauses, mentally searching for a better alternative as to get Tyler into the treehouse.

“Get on my back,” Josh says, deeming it the best method. He lets go of Tyler and they instantly wobble over to the tree, finding their balance by leaning onto the trunk, eyes wide as they stared at Josh’s crouching figure. Josh looks over his shoulder, shooting Tyler a comforting smile.

“C’mon, I carry you up,” he tells them as they nervously look back up into the leaves.

“Are…Are you sure? What—What if we…”

“It’ll be fine, Tyler,” Josh interrupts, “I promise.”

Tyler shuffles where they stand, still reluctant. They shoot Josh another unsure glance. “Positive?” They ask as their eyes fall back down onto Josh.

“Of course.”

Tyler bites their lip and takes a careful step forward, gently snaking their arms around Josh’s neck. When Josh stands up, Tyler lets out a surprised squeak, instinctively wrapping their legs around Josh’s waist. “Are you sure this is okay?” They question shyly.

Josh nods and begins to climb up the rope ladder. “Don’t worry, just hold on. You’re **light as a feather** ,” he tells them. Though Tyler didn’t weigh much in the first place, they were sure to wear him out in just a few minutes; Josh had spelled them just in case.

Josh climbs and climbs and climbs, never faltering even as Tyler begins to grow heavy on his back, the spell wearing off. When they reach the top, Josh allows Tyler to crawl through the trapdoor first, letting them use him as leverage to heave themselves through the opening.

Once they were inside, Josh pulls himself up into the treehouse, flipping the trapdoor shut. He turns to Tyler, who is standing still nearby, their eyes curiously searching their surroundings. Josh suddenly feels self conscious.

“Woah…This—This is sick,” Tyler says, taking a wobbly step forward. Josh furrows his eyebrows in confusion, walking over to slip his arm around Tyler’s waist.

“Sick? Like…bad?” He asks as he guides Tyler to the bed in the corner of the room.

“N-No, like—like cool, y’know? Sick.”

Josh nods in understanding, though he still didn’t quite get it. He sets Tyler down onto the bed, their bruised limbs sinking into the soft mattress. Tyler lets out a sigh of content and quietly thanks Josh for helping. Josh only smiles sweetly and sits down on the edge of the bed.

“We should clean you up,” he informs them gently as he watched their eyes begin to flutter shut.

Tyler kisses their teeth and sits up lazily. “Yeah, al—alright,” they agree with a short nod.

Josh sends them another smile before standing up and heading toward the doorway near the back of the room. He walks through the enchanted beads dangling overhead and into his small bathroom, searching for the first aid kit he kept under the sink.

He grabs the small case and goes back to the bed, situating himself in front of Tyler. They both work to scrub off any and all blood on Tyler’s face, Tyler hissing each time Josh pressed down too hard.

“Do you…Do you think I’ll need stitches?” Tyler asks as Josh examines the gash over their temple. Josh frowns, gently running a hand over their matted hair.

“Um, maybe not? It’s not too bad,” Josh admits. Tyler nods, blinking tiredly, brown eyes still rimmed red from earlier. Josh purses his lips and begins to place the supplies back into the kit, silently glancing up when the sheets crinkle as Tyler adjusts themself to sit with their back to the wall.

“Josh,” they start, “Do…Do you live here?”

“Yeah, kinda,” Josh replies almost instantly as he closes the first aid kit and sets it near the foot of the bed.

“Oh…cool,” Tyler nods, letting their eyes search the area once more. Josh purses his lips in attempt to stop himself from attacking Tyler with a splurge of semi-intrusive questions.

“I’ll be right back,” he says instead, snatching the first aid kit and using it as an excuse to leave the room. He tucks the kit back into its rightful place and looks at himself in the mirror, trying to remain calm.

He _needs_ to relax, he can’t afford to blow up right now, _especially_ with Tyler here.

The last time he accidently blew up (which actually wasn’t that long ago), everything in his bedroom had burned, swollen up by his fiery magick, thick clouds of smoke filling the atmosphere in his home. His mother had scolded him and spelled him out of the house, resulting in Josh running into the forest in tears, feeling disappointed in himself yet again.

The thing is, blowing up wasn’t something Josh could control. It’s usually caused by an intense feeling of emotion (or _emotions_ ) overwhelming him and causing his magick to go berserk; his body can’t handle that kind of pressure so he ends up doing the only thing he can. Blowing up.

Right now, Josh is getting too worried, yet too excited. Worried because he’s not sure if Tyler’s truly safe and excited because, _oh my goodness_ , there’s a Real person in his treehouse.

Josh has never met a Real person before. He’s never met anyone outside the magickal community; in fact, he was never allowed to. He can’t believe this. A Real person, a person who isn’t aware of the existence of magick and who doesn’t _need_ to be because they do everything without it, is in the other room.

Josh _really_ needs to stop freaking out about this. “ **Keep your cool** ,” he tells himself, instantly feeling relieved of the weight that had rested on his shoulders. He grins wide, giddy.

When he passes back through the beads, he spots Tyler looking up at the spelled ceiling in admiration. There are small twinkling stars that Josh like to watch when he couldn’t sleep covering the surface. Josh smiles softly, quietly padding over to Tyler’s side.

“Ty, d’you wanna sleep? I can check for other injuries in the morning,” Josh says softly. Tyler shuffles on the bed, lifting the sheets with nimble fingers and carefully crawling under them.

“Yeah, okay,” they whisper back, tugging the blanket over their shoulders. Josh nods and lets them be, sitting down at the end of the bed protectively.

“I’ll be here if you need me,” Josh tells them quietly as he leans back into the wall. Tyler hums in response, shifting under the covers. Not five minutes later, they’re snoring gently, their body rising and falling with every soft breath.

Josh lets out a sigh, fluttering his eyes closed as he feels his magick seep out from his fingertips, searching for another body of energy rather than his own. It searches for solace in the crevices of the treehouse, flaring up when it finds tiny buds of flowers and their wispy green magick. It tugs at the firm violet shield enclosing the beads at the doorway, testing its strength. It weaves between every magickal knick knack in the room, swirling around on the ceiling before coming to a halt.

Josh’s heart skips a beat at the electric feeling of a new aura, his cheeks warming when he realizes that it was Tyler’s lifeforce writhing under his.

Josh’s eyes snap open, glancing over at Tyler’s sleeping figure in awe. It hadn’t been noticeable earlier amidst his fit of panic in getting Tyler to safety, but _wow_.

They were encircled by an odd wavering shape, color a combination of royal blue and blood orange, the ecessance flickering and licking at everything around it like a flame, the tips warm and its body cool. It roars at Josh’s yellow wisps of magick, spreading away in what felt to be fear.

Josh frowns as he pushes out his magick, reaching for Tyler. The flame flickers away once more and Tyler stirs in their sleep. Josh tries again, whispering “ _It’s alright,_ ” into the quiet of the night.

The flame seems to hesitate before going back to burning as had been before, allowing Josh’s magick to intertwine with it, both energies swaying lightly.

Josh instantly feels a rush of overwhelming calm, his mind becoming cloudy in the light feeling of content. He knows Tyler can sense it too, their shuffling ceasing and their breaths become softer and slower than before.

Josh blinks tiredly, all his built up fatigue finally catching up to him and pulling down at his muscles. Blowing up earlier had taken a great toll on not only his body, but his magick, making him feel heavy and drowsy. He was impressed that he hadn’t immediately passed out right after.

Josh rubs his eyes with a fist, letting them close for just a second, telling himself he wouldn’t fall asleep.

But he does just that, dreams filled with warm blue fire and flowering bruises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> coming up:
> 
> Josh blinks up at Tyler thoughtfully. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know your state of being was he/him. I assumed it was they/them.” He tells him. 
> 
> Tyler, still rightfully confused, smiles. “That’s okay. Now you know,”


	2. peony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have so many ideas for this fic :)

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that quick heavy breathing, tossing and turning, and unconscious blubbering meant that one was experiencing a bad nightmare. So Josh takes less than thirty seconds to rush to Tyler’s side, rubbing their back soothingly as he whispers sweet nothings into their ear to calm them down.

“ **Sweet dreams** ,” Josh spells weakly, his magick having yet to recover from everything that had happened in the last few hours. Tyler whimpers in their sleep, curling into themselves as their aura dims and does the same. Josh tries his hardest to let his magick cloud over them protectively, sending them a calming breeze of sorts.

Tyler squirms under the sheets, whining as tears spill down their cheeks. Josh panics and immediately reaches out to them, wrapping his arms around Tyler. Tyler whimpers again, still sobbing in their sleep as one word repeatedly tumbles from their lips.

“Mason, Mason,” Tyler repeats manically, squirming in Josh’s arms. Josh hoists himself on top of Tyler, pressing half his weight against him, chests flush.

“Shh, petal. You’re okay, everything’s alright,” Josh whispers, his magick trying its best to emit a gentle, comforting smell of honey. He had always found the scent rather relaxing, hoping nightmare-plagued Tyler would feel the same.

“Mason, Mason, Mason, Mas—”

Tyler’s eyes snap open suddenly, their initial reaction to Josh on top of them being grabbing Josh’s face and pushing him away. As soon as Tyler registers who was holding them, their body instantly relaxes, brand new tears slipping from their eyes. “Juh-Josh,” they sob brokenly in replacement for their past murmurings. They hug back, snaking their arms around Josh’s neck tightly as Josh carefully slides off of them and ends up at their side.

“Shh, it’s okay. You’re alright. Nothing’s gonna hurt you, petal.” Josh comforts softly as Tyler shifts down to rest their head on his chest.

Tyler sniffles in response, arms falling to throw them around Josh’s waist as Josh continues to hold them. “I’m sorry,” they squeak after a while, “I don’t think I can go back to sleep,”

Josh rubs their back in comforting circular motions. “I think you need it, petal. Do you want me to give you something?” Josh asks, already mentally searching for where his bottle of sleep potion was.

“What if I have another nightmare?” Tyler asks fearfully, pressing their body tighter against Josh’s.

“You won’t,” Josh reassures, “And if you do, I’ll be right here,”

Tyler seems to hesitate, in which Josh takes as a yes, detaching himself from Tyler for just a second as he rummages through his nightstand. He finds the potion and quickly makes his way back to bed, Tyler clinging to him immediately after he crawls under the sheets.

“Take a sip and you’ll be golden,” Josh tells them, helping in placing the small bottle to Tyler’s parted lips. Tyler hums as he swallows, adam’s apple bobbing. Josh stuffs the cork back onto the bottle and slides it under the pillow, not wanting to get out of bed again.

“What was that?” Tyler asks quietly, eyes already fluttering shut.

“Magick potion. It helps you fall asleep,” Josh answers truthfully as Tyler sets their head back on his chest, hooking a leg over his.

“Mhm? ‘S good. Thank you,” they reply sleepily as their aura falls against Josh gently, providing him a rush of calming warmth. Josh sighs as he let’s Tyler’s aura take him in fully, as if it were creating a barrier around them both.

“ **Sweet dreams** ,” Josh spells again, knowing it would work better now that the sleeping potion was coursing through Tyler’s being. It seems to work, Tyler ceasing their shuffling completely, never once waking up through the night.

When the morning light floods through the window, engulfing them both with golden rays, Tyler is actually the first one to wake, pulling themselves away from Josh as they sit up carefully. Josh follows suit, being one of the lightest of sleepers and having felt Tyler move.

“Good morning, petal. How’d you sleep?” Josh asks gently, voice crackly and low. Tyler’s face warms a rose color as they avert their eyes, looking down into their lap.

“Good. Thank you,” they whisper, fiddling their fingers. Their aura flickers back and forth, orange tips glowing brightly in the early sunlight. Josh smiles and slides out of bed, bare feet meeting the cold floor.

“Alright then, come on,” he says, aiding Tyler out of bed and guiding him through the beads to the bathroom. Tyler looks around curiously as Josh grabs two toothbrushes from the cabinet behind the mirror.

He hands one to Tyler, Tyler thanking them quietly. They both brush their teeth in silence as Tyler does their best to not look up into the mirror. Josh frowns as their aura caves in, wrapping around Tyler in shame.

Once they were done, Josh takes Tyler by the hand and leads them back to bed, smiling gently. “I need you to remove your shirt,” Josh tells them, “see what I can do,”

Tyler gulps and nods, carefully pulling their shirt up and over their head, setting it down onto the bed. Josh then frowns at the purple bruises smudging their torso, mostly centering around their ribs.

“I like your markings by the way,” Josh says, trailing a finger on Tyler’s chest before getting down on one knee to focus on their torso better.

Tyler furrows their brow in confusion. “I like your tattoos too,” they say, gesturing weakly to Josh’s left arm. It’s a colorful painting of a tree. Of course it’s a tree.

“Thank you. I think your rib is broken,” Josh says all at once, placing a warm palm flat on Tyler’s bruise.

“Really?” Tyler asks, fear filling their eyes as blue and orange flicker back and forth anxiously. Josh watches them carefully, pushing his magick further into Tyler’s being, healing their ribs without touching their bruises.

“No, I think you’re good,” Josh lies as he heals the two broken bones under Tyler’s skin. Tyler gives a sigh a relief as Josh finishes as pulls his hand away. “Just a bit bruised,”

“Thank God,” Tyler murmurs under their breath as Josh continues to search his body for any more injuries. He doesn’t find any besides the concerning scars on Tyler’s chest.

“How’d you get these?” Josh asks, lightly tracing one of the faint scars. Tyler looks down at him questionably, brow furrowed once more.

“Top surgery,” They respond.

“Huh?” Josh asks, never having heard of the term, “Top what?”

Tyler shifts uncomfortably. “Top surgery,” they repeat. Josh manages to understand both word words, but not in the context Tyler was using them.

“What’s that?” He asks curiously. That must be a Real person thing if he had no knowledge of it.

Tyler looks surprised at the question, they but answer nonetheless. “It’s uh, when you get surgery on your chest to change it. I changed mine. I had a girl’s chest before, but now I have a boy one,”

Josh blinks up at Tyler thoughtfully. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know your state of being was he/him. I assumed it was they/them.” He tells him.

Tyler, still rightfully confused, smiles. “That’s okay. Now you know,”

Josh nods. “I do…Did it hurt? Does it hurt?” He asks, tracing Tyler’s scars again.

“It did at first, but it’s okay now. It’s been three years. I like my scars,” Tyler informs happily, looking proud.

“You like them? They’re rather ugly,” Josh says bluntly. Tyler bursts into laughter, the sound delightfully ringing in Josh’s ears. Josh wishes he could hear it all day.

“Yeah, they are. But I can’t do anything about it,” Tyler admits, shrugging his shoulders. Josh squints at the matching scars, deeming them easy to heal. He places his his palms against them and lets his magick do the rest.

“Josh, what’re you—”

“Done!” Josh smiles as he moves his palms. The scars there before are now gone, any and all trace of them wiped away as if they were never there in the first place. Tyler stands from the bed and sprints to the bathroom as Josh slowly pads after him, cautious.

“Tyler?” Josh says quietly, slipping through the beads. Tyler is in front of the mirror, tracing his fingers over where his scars had been, skin now smooth instead.

“How did—How did you do that?” He asks, still in shock. Josh bites in the inside of his cheek, wrapping his arms around himself timidly. Tyler’s aura reaches out to Josh comfortingly, sensing his hesitation.

“I’m a mage,” Josh tells him, “It was magick.”

Tyler turns to face him, eyes wide. “A mage,” he breathes, astonished. “You do magick.”

“Yes.” Josh confirms as Tyler steps closer.

“I’ve never met a mage,” Tyler says.

“I’ve never met a Real person,” Josh responds, smiling sheepishly when Tyler sends him a look of confusion. “Well, the official term Non-mage, but you all feel Real to me. Not like us…you guys don’t need magick…”

Tyler takes another step closer. “Josh, you’re fucking amazing. I—I can’t believe this. Magick is real? Holy shit, do something else,” he insists, aura flaring up in excitement.

Josh smiles shyly and points to Tyler’s cheekbone. “Can I?” He asks, lifting a hand. Tyler flinches at the sudden movement, but nods anway, letting Josh cup his cheek as he closes his eyes.

Josh heals his bruise the same way he did Tyler’s ribs and scars, magick seeping into Tyler through his palms. He moves onto the gash over his temple and finally the cut on his lip, lightly pressing his thumb over it as Tyler giggles at the touch.

“Oh my fucking God, this is so sick,” Tyler borderline squeals when he looks back into the mirror, face now rid of injuries. Josh ducks his head down bashfully, cheeks glowing a bright red.

“Um, I think we should get you home now, yeah? Is that okay?” Josh asks. All color drains from Tyler’s face as he turns back to look at Josh, eyes big and fearful.

“No.” He responds instantly, “No, Josh, I’m not safe yet. What if something happens?”

Josh frowns. “What do you mean? At home?”

Tyler looks down to his feet. “Yeah…what if I get attacked again?” He says quietly, “Can’t I stay here? One more day, I promise,”

Josh watches Tyler’s aura dim and cave in again, as it did earlier in the morning. Tyler was obviously lying, but Josh wasn’t one to pry. Plus, there was no way he’d force him to if he didn’t feel safe. That’s all Josh wanted, for him to be protected.

“That’s okay. Do you want to eat something? We can go—” Josh cuts himself off, a knit in his brow, “Well, actually we can’t. If I take you to the Cove they’ll ask you where you’re from. Real people aren’t allowed there,”

Tyler nods in understanding. “We can go to the Real world to find something to eat,” he offers.

“I’ve never been outside the mage community.” Josh admits. Tyler’s eyes flicker something mischievous as his aura roars and glows.

“Well, there’s a first time for everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> coming up:
> 
> When he looks up, Tyler’s mouth is already home to the fork in his hand, face stuffed with pancake and syrup dripping down his chin. 
> 
> Josh lets out a laugh, pointing a finger at Tyler. “You got a little something,” he tells him. 
> 
> Tyler blushes in embarrassment, licking his lips. “Did I get it?”


	3. freesia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> good vibes

Walking through the forest again was more calming than the first time around, Josh no longer having to worry about getting a sobbing stranger to safety. But though comforted by the cool essence of the trees swaying the wind, Josh remained nervous, glued to Tyler’s side with an arm around his waist. He tells himself it’s to keep Tyler protected, but his stomach churns in protest, knowing full well it was because he was afraid.

“I just gotta go find an ATM first ‘cuz I don’t got any cash on me,” Tyler explains, taking a look at his surroundings. His gaze falls down onto a bundle of daffodils before looking back at Josh. “I didn’t know these grew here,” he comments, pointing at the flowers.

Josh spares them a glance, shrugging. “It’s a magickal forest, Ty.”

Tyler blinks, chapped lips forming an ‘o.’ “Right. I knew that,” he claims.

Josh chuckles under his breath, hiding a smile. They trudged on in a relatively comfortable silence, leaves and fallen branches crunching under the soles of their shoes as green magick lingered in the air like a mist. Josh reaches out to swat at it so he can see where he was heading, Tyler turning to him in confusion.

“What was that? Bug?” He asks.

Josh simply shakes his head. “The magick here is really thick, I can’t see very well.” He answers as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Tyler perks up at the mention of magick, aura burning brighter.

“You can see it? Is that a mage thing?” He asks curiously, eyebrows raised as he watches Josh patiently for a reply. Josh hesitates, quickly trying to think of a lie.

“No, actually. Just a—a me thing, I guess. Other mages can’t see magick, only feel it.” Josh admits, guilty for ever thinking there was a possibility he could lie to Tyler. He could never.

Tyler‘s expression morphs into one of surprise at the response. “Oh…that’s cool though. Maybe you’re like, ultra super powerful,” he says, adding unnecessary adjectives to somehow to prove his point. 

Josh laughs, eyes crinkling as he did so. “Yeah, right. I’m sure an ultra super powerful mage would be able to control their magick a bit better than I could,”

Tyler pushes away a tree branch from their path, letting it swing back into place as they pass it. “You have trouble controlling your magick?” He asks, eyes set on Josh’s face, refusing to look anywhere else. Josh blushes in embarrassment, shaking his head.

“I’ve said too much,” he breathes, “ _Forget about it._ ”

Tyler blinks. “Oh…that’s cool though. Maybe you’re like, ultra super powerful,” he repeats, as if the last few sentences uttered by Josh really _didn’t_ happen.

Josh stops walking, letting go of Tyler’s waist. “What?” He asks, eyes searching Tyler’s face.

“Being able to see magick. It’s cool…” Tyler clarifies, a frown tugging at his lips, “Was that offensive? I’m sorry if it was,”

Josh gulps. Did he really just spell Tyler without meaning to? That wasn’t even a spell! What the ever-loving—

“Um, no, forget about—nevermind. Oh, look, the street,” Josh stumbles, not wanting to risk the chance of altering Tyler’s memory anymore. He points at the sparse amount of trees ahead, signaling a opening.

“Oh, sweet,” Tyler says, skipping off ahead of Josh. Josh watches him weave through the trees, admiring the slow, easy sway of his fiery aura.

“I live on this street, there’s an ATM a few blocks that way and there’s a diner closeby,” Tyler informs, pointing down the road as Josh catches up to him, the two of them stopping to linger near the trees for a few seconds.

“Come on,” Tyler then says, pushing forward and out of the magickal mist of the forest, eagerly stepping out of the grassy terrain and onto the sturdy pavement of the sidewalk. Josh follows his lead, subconsciously sticking to his side as he takes hold of the hem of Tyler’s shirt in search of comfort. He’d hate to admit it, but he was kinda scared; he’s never been on this side of the forest before.

“Um, it’s nice here,” Josh says under his breath, not daring to raise it above a whisper, “And you live here? Were—Were you attacked on your way home or…”

Tyler doesn’t answer at first, which worries Josh for a good second or two, anxiety spiking. He was about to spell Tyler’s mind to forget when the taller boy finally answers. “Uh, yeah…I was—I was heading home when—when they jumped me,”

Josh’s stomach swirls at the answer, heart skipping a beat when he recognizes that the uneasy feeling flooding his mind was similar to the one he had felt when Tyler told him it wasn’t safe for him to go home. “Oh, okay…I’m glad I found you in time, the forest gets cold at night,”

Tyler glances over at Josh, a soft smile playing his pink lips. “I’m glad you found me too,”

His breath caught in his throat, Josh peels his eyes away from Tyler and begins to search his surroundings instead, a warm blush on his cheeks.

“What are—what are those paths made of?” He asks, pointing at the street as he releases Tyler’s shirt and opts for hooking his arm with his.

Tyler’s eyes flick down to the road before looking back at Josh. “Uh, asphalt. It’s like—like gravel? Sand? That make sense?” He answers, waving a hand as he did so.

“Um, yeah, I suppose,” Josh answers, having able to grasp the concept.

Tyler nods. “Alright, cool.” He says, their conversation dropping.

Josh bites the inside of his cheek and takes this time to look around at his surroundings, watching anything and everything with eyes wide with curiosity.

The extreme lack of trees in the Real world is what he notices first, and it probably distinguishes it from the mage community the most. Along with that, the homes here are rather odd, being separated by large fields of short-cut grass. The magick here was also thin and sparse, though that was expected.

“Magick’s kinda thin around here,” Josh comments as they both cross a street.

Tyler turns to look at him, eyebrows furrowed. “Thin? What do you mean?” He asks.

Josh shrugs a shoulder. “Well, all living things have a certain magick or aura I can pinpoint— especially nature—plants and trees. ” he says before pointing at a tree, “There isn’t much of that here, not like in the forest, at least—not like in the Cove.”

Tyler nods slowly. “Oh, I see…Wait, everything has magick? Do I—”

“Yes,” Josh confirms, smiling gently, “All living things have quote unquote magick; they come in the form of auras—or energies, if you will. I have magick, you have magick, all of Earth’s creatures have magick,”

“So…what are mages then, exactly? If all things have magick?” Tyler asks, confused.

“Not everything can utilize that magick, Ty. That’s what mages are. We are capable of taking our magick and forming it into new things—that’s how spells work too. Not everything can do what we can,” Josh explains as they both round a corner.

The odd homes have long since disappeared, replaced with large buildings Josh supposed were meant to resemble shops—like back in the Cove.

“That’s amazing…Wait does this mean I have—”

“There’s a lot of people here,” Josh then whispers, clinging onto Tyler even tighter than before. No one is watching—he knows that well, but he can’t help but feel eyes burning into his back, his magick wavering and caving in. What if someone spotted him? He wasn’t allowed outside the Cove. What if—

Tyler seems to sense his uneasiness, leaning into Josh’s space in means of showing comfort, aura falling onto the both of them in a barrier of sorts. “It’s alright, J. Really…Look, there’s the ATM.”

Tyler pulls Josh over to the side of one of the buildings, to a small machine with a bright screen. Josh watches quietly as Tyler fumbles with his wallet and pulls out a card, inserting it into the machine.

“How is it that your…” Josh gestures to Tyler’s wallet, unknowing of the proper word, “wasn’t stolen?”

Tyler’s face flushes as he ignores Josh’s stare, focusing on the screen in front of him. “Um, I don’t know. It just wasn’t…” he mumbles unconvincingly.

Josh bites his lip. “ **Call a spade a spade,** ” he spells.

Tyler then furrows his eyebrows at the ATM screen before parting his lips. “I need to withdraw money instead of using my card upfront so if I buy stuff Mason won’t know about it because I _know_ he’ll get upset. Also, technically I wasn’t jumped so I didn’t get any of my things stolen. And—”

“Where are we heading?” Josh interrupts, already feeling guilt swirling in his stomach.

Tyler blinks, mind going blank as Josh’s spell dissipates. “The diner across the street. Sadie’s.” He finally says, collecting what appeared to be paper from the machine’s slot.

Josh nods stiffly, biting the inside of his cheek. Tyler’s eyes flick over to him, a small smile splitting his lips. “It’s okay, J. It’s pretty early, no one our age is ever there,” he assures, hooking his arm with Josh’s once more, “Speaking of which…how old _are_ you actually?”

“Oh, I’m twenty four,” Josh tells him as they both head over to the crosswalk.

Tyler nods, pushing the button with his thumb. “Oh cool, I’m twenty three. Barely a difference there then,” he says.

Before Josh could counter that one year actually _was_ quite of a difference (at least mage and magick-wise), Tyler is pulling him across the street, speed walking as the numbers on the crosswalk begin to blink backwards.

“Oh, I’ve missed this place,” Josh hears Tyler whisper under his breath as he pulls the door to Sadie’s wide open, tugging Josh inside along with him. The rich aroma of dark roast coffee and cinnamon hit Josh’s nostrils instantly, making him feel just a tad light headed. The aura of this diner was warm and pleasant, a soft chocolate.

“It’s very nice in here. Good vibes,” Josh says without meaning to as Tyler squishes him into a booth. Tyler slides in opposite to him, smiling.

“Hm? Oh, I know, right?” He says absentmindedly. His eyes then widen considerably before he leans in and whispers, “Wait, was that a mage thing? Or?…”

“Perception of auras, yes. A mage thing, I told you that.” Josh teases, eyes squinted as he smiles.

Tyler’s face instantly warms a dark shade of red as he scratches the back of his neck. “Right. I knew that,” he says, averting his eyes.

A girl with short blue hair then walks up to their booth, a notepad in her hand. “Welcome to Sadie’s, my name is Ashley and—Tyler?”

Josh turns to Tyler curiously, eyebrow raised. Tyler gasps slightly. “Ash? Oh my god,” he grins, standing from his seat to pull the girl into a brief hug.

“Dude, I haven’t seen you in so long! You don’t even live that far from here! What’s up with that?” Ashley asks as Tyler sits back down, folding his hands on the table.

Tyler shrugs, smile ever-present on his lips, aura as bright as ever. “Mason doesn’t like the food here so we don’t come.” He says, shrugging a shoulder. Josh frowns, looking up at Ashley only to see a frown on her lips as well, her violet aura spiking up in what seemed to be concern.

“Oh, Mason. How is he anyway?” She asks politely even though Josh could sense she couldn’t care less.

Tyler beams at the question, aura flaring. “Oh, he’s fine…” he starts before cutting himself off. Josh watches carefully as his aura suddenly dims and his face falls just a bit. “…Uh, yeah. He’s fine…”

“Who’s this?” Ashley then chirps, turning to Josh. Josh’s stomach swirls as he squirms uncomfortably under her gaze. It was like she was analyzing him in some way, her eyes narrowed, zeroed in on him and only him.

“Oh, this is Josh. He’s a friend,” Tyler explains, bright smile returning to his face. Josh’s stomach then swirls for a completely different reason.

Ashley nods, dropping her imitating stare. “Cool. I’m Ashley, Tyler’s friend from high school,” she smiles, holding out her hand. Josh takes it in his, immediately feeling a sudden rush of electric energy.

“Nice to meet you,” Josh says, meaning it wholeheartedly, sending Ashley a wave of warmth from his palm. He sees her tense shoulders slump, her smile widening.

“You too,” she responds, dropping his hand. “Now, what would you two like to drink?”

Tyler perks up, answering the question before Josh could even register it. “Two hot chocolates, please. Oh, and two waters too,” he says.

Ashley nods, quickly jotting it down. “Alright, d’you know what you want to eat or should I come back?” She asks.

“Pancakes. Two stacks,” Tyler tells her gently, tone as sweet as honey.

Ashley smiles warmly, nodding her head as she writes it down onto her notepad. Josh watches her aura as it spreads sporadically around her, ultimately showcasing her pleasant ease. She sticks her blue pen behind her ear and tells Tyler she’ll be right back with their drinks. Josh is mesmerized by the way her aura sways confidently as she walks away.

“She’s very nice. Good aura,” Josh immediately whispers loud enough for Tyler to catch, making sure no one would be able to eavesdrop. (Not that there were many people in the diner in the first place.)

“Yeah, Ashley’s great. Coolest person I know,” Tyler beams in agreement. “Well, besides you, that is,”

Josh feels his face warm. “My sister’s name is Ashley,” he blurts in response, not really knowing what else to say although he had fished about every corner of his mind.

“Oh, you have siblings? How many?” Tyler asks instantly, jumping at the opportunity to learn about the mage facing him.

“Oh, um. Three younger. There’s Jordan, Abbie, and Ashley of course,” Josh smiles fondly, happy that he didn’t have to spell Tyler because of the embarrassing slip.

“Oh, sick! Me too! Zack, Jay, and Maddie. Zack actually—”

“Here’s your chocolate and water,” Ashley announces as she picks off the mugs and glasses off of the tray balancing on her palm. She places them on the table and says, “Pancakes are just about done, be right back.”

Once she’s out of sight, Josh magick nudges at Tyler, causing the younger boy to confusedly look up from where he had been examining his hot drink, eyebrows scrunched up. “You were saying? About your brother?” Josh asks.

A flash of recognition crosses Tyler’s face. “Oh, right! Zack actually owns this place. He bought it off the owner. He, uh…renamed it after his, um, sister,”

Josh nods, though slightly confused. “Sister? But—”

When Tyler sends him a sheepish look, Josh instantly gets it. “It’s in memory of her, I guess. I don’t mind,” Tyler clears up, shrugging a shoulder. “It’s kinda weird to hear it, but I like it. It, uh, reminds me how far I’ve come, y’know? Without her…I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

Josh nods in understanding, taking his mug of chocolate into his palms. “That’s good then…I like it too,” he says.

Tyler’s lips quirk up at the corners.

“Pancakes…and syrup,” Ashley then drawls, whirling back to their booth with her black tray in hand. She places the plates down onto the table followed by a bottle of maple syrup.

“Thank you,” Tyler tells her kindly, eyeing the fluffy pancakes on his plate.

“No problem. Enjoy,” Ashley nods with a smile before walking off for the final time.

Josh then lets his gaze fall down onto the bundle of utensils on the table, clean and shiny from where they peeked out from under the white napkin wrapped around them. He takes the bundle between his fingers and undoes the roll, picking out his knife and fork.

He proceeds to cut up his pancakes, the cool metal pressing into the soft breakfast dish. He takes a bite, instantly pleased by the sweet warmth on his tongue. “This is really good,” he hums in delight.

When he looks up, Tyler’s mouth is already home to the fork in his hand, face stuffed with pancake and syrup dripping down his chin.  
  
Josh lets out a laugh, pointing a finger at Tyler. “You got a little something,” he tells him.  
  
Tyler blushes in embarrassment, licking his lips. “Did I get it?”

Josh drops his knife and fork back onto his plate, shaking his head as a small smile plays his lips. “No, not at all,” he informs, reaching over the table without a second thought. He wipes at Tyler’s chin with his thumb before bringing it to his parted lips, licking at the sweet syrup.

“All good now,” he confirms.

Tyler’s face is about as red as a cherry.

“Sorry, it’s just I haven’t eaten since…since yesterday’s lunch, I believe,” Tyler says, starting off as he strains to remember. “Yeah, yesterday’s lunch sounds right,”

Josh frowns. “But…why?” He asks, eyebrows furrowed

Tyler looks up at him, playfully rolling his eyes. “Well, I didn’t exactly make it home last night, Josh,” he says in a semi-condescending tone.

Josh slumps his shoulders. “I could’ve fed you last night,” he insists gently, already feeling his magick droop in shame.

“No, no, it’s fine. I was really out of it yesterday,” Tyler replies, shaking his head as he takes another bite of his sickly sweet pancakes that were practically drowning in syrup.

Josh nods, though he doesn’t quite let go of that guilt, tucking it behind into the farthest corner of his mind.

“Alright,” Josh says, taking a sip of his glass of water.

Tyler smiles.


End file.
